CHICAGO โ A new tweet by US President claiming that some prayer rugs were found on Mexico borders has been blasted as both Islamophobic and racist.
This has led to a flood of condemnation from American Muslims who have launched โmy prayer rugโ campaign in defense of their identity.
โWould you ever say this about Rosary Beads? No, for you โa prayer rugโ is like a smoking gun or a bag of cocaine, it means โMuslimโ and Muslim means โcriminal.โ #myPrayerRug .. asking everyone to share theirs,โ Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), wrote on Twitter, launching the hashtag campaign.
It all started with a tweet from Trump saying, โBorder rancher: โWeโve found prayer rugs out here. Itโs unreal.โ Washington Examiner People coming across the Southern Border from many countries, some of which would be a big surprise.โ
Replying to him, American Muslim comedian Dean Obeidallah wrote, โTrump got us! We Muslims leave our prayer rugs around to claim the land. We call it our Victory Prayer Rugs! Now what will we do? Or could it be the Border rancher confused a prayer rug with a small blanket? Who cares about facts though when Trump is trying to fearmonger.โ
People on social media considered Trumpโs tweet a โracistโ attack on the migrants and Muslims alike.
#MyPrayerRug reminds me that Iโm honored to bow down to the Creator of the Heavens of the Earth every day, like Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them) and that this life is temporary and illusory and short and Kingdom belongs to the Most High who loves the humble https://t.co/8BX2VTmsz3
โ Hassan Shibly (@HassanShibly) January 18, 2019
#MyPrayerRug is used for to connect with God, quiet contemplation and reflection 5 times a day. To equate it with anything else is reprehensible. https://t.co/Vh4pegX0Tj
โ MuslimWomensAlliance (@MWAChicago) January 18, 2019
.@realDonaldTrump continues his hateful onslaught against Muslims. Through his fearmonngering he spreads division in America. A prayer rug isnโt nefarious but Trumpโs hate rhetoric is, donโt be fooled. #myprayerrug pic.twitter.com/hwFoxaeVh3
โ Muhammad Akbar (@M_T_Akbar) January 18, 2019
I am 100% committed to my work of violence prevention and improving our criminal justice system. Iโm an American. This is my office and in it is #MyPrayerRug . Shame on @realDonaldTrump for his bigotry, most recently re: prayer rugs. #DividerInChief pic.twitter.com/oUpcX7y0Vn
โ Junaid Afeef (@JunaidAfeef) January 18, 2019
American actress Mia Farrow, and Citizens for Ethics research director Robert Maguire have also rejected Trumpโs rhetoric.
Not guns,knives or bombs- but prayer rugs. You are the criminal: on your orders,thousands of kids were taken from parents & cannot be reunited. Your shut down is hurting millions of Americans . Today we learned that you committed subornation of perjury, punishable by 5 yrs prison
โ Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) January 18, 2019
Trump is using an article that sources a single anonymous rancher to insinuate that โpeople who use prayer rugsโ (wink wink nudge nudge) are coming across the southern border.
He canโt say terrorists outright because his administration already tried, and it blew up in their face pic.twitter.com/2lq9sioaJ7
โ Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) January 18, 2019
Others were sarcastic.
Assuming this story is true (itโs not) why would Muslims carry prayer rugs all the way to the US and then abandon them?
โ TDP (@TDPattillo) January 18, 2019
Assuming this story is true (itโs not) why would Muslims carry prayer rugs all the way to the US and then abandon them?
โ TDP (@TDPattillo) January 18, 2019
Thatโs where I left it. Iโm so forgetful. #myPrayerRug pic.twitter.com/GBRBEtOFXA
โ Rana Elmir (@elmirana) January 18, 2019
Muslims pray five times a day, with each prayer made of a series of postures and movements, each set of which is called a rakโah.
The five prayer times are divided all through the day which starts with Fajr prayer at dawn.
